Backyard Chickens

Backyard chickens have become all the rage in cities across America. Even a recent article in the Economist highlighted the financial and health reasons why people are keeping chickens in Austin.

But not every city has jumped into the chicken coop.  Ithaca, like many cities, prohibits backyard chickens.  

"No person shall keep, pasture, breed, raise, harbor, stable or maintain any bees, poultry, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese or any other fowl or reptiles or any swine, horses, cows, mules, sheep, goats or any other animals, except domesticated pets, within the City," reads the Ithaca City Code Article 1, 164-2. Exceptions are made for research and educational institutions that take proper health and safety precautions. 

The Economist reports on the US chicken craze: Austin recently hosted its first "Funky Chicken Coop Tour," with more than 600 people in attendance.  The website www.backyardchickens.com has more than 35,000 members.  And the host of the radio show Chicken Whisperer, says that websites like Craigslist, Facebook, and Twitter are helping people organize to relax city codes.

There are murmurs in Ithaca about such a movement, but nothing is formally organized yet.  "In the meantime," one Fall Creek gardener told me, "I think we can keep chickens as long as we call them pets."  Not sure what city officials would say to that.